Dad... Fix It

I guess it is nice to realize that kids sometimes think that dad can fix anything...

My daughter just expects it. I got a phone call one morning after she had gotten to school to tell me that she could not get the keys out of the car. I said "did you put it in park?" She said "of course!" but I told her to try it again and she said "OK they came out..."

A few days later I got a call while I was at work and the first thing I hear is "Dad I'm trying to get gas, but I cant get the gas cap off." We went over how to take it off several times (this is just a screw off- no key or anything), but she still couldn't get it off. Her friend tried, but could not do it either. I told her that I could not leave work right then to help her take the gas cap off. She got mad and hung up on me. When I got home and asked her if she was able to get it off she said "no, but some guy was watching us and laughing and then he came over and took it off for us."

About a month ago I got a call and she said "Dad I'm in the Hasting's parking lot and the car won't start." I first asked her if it was in park (remembering our previous issue with the keys). She assured me that it was, so I said "when you turn the key does it turn over?" "I don't know what that means" she replied. I was kind of speechless after that thinking "why do you have a car?" I said that I would be there in a few minutes to help her and she said "I won't be here, my friends and I have someplace to go." Sigh... Turned out to be a dead battery. I couldn't find my jumper cables and found a cheap pair that had been in a little tool box some old neighbors had given me. I can understand selling cheap items, but what I don't understand is having a product that doesn't actually do what they are supposed to do. The wire in these cables could not carry enough current to jump a car...? Those went in the trash. After getting some new ones it was too late and I had a meeting to go to. Made my day when I got home to hear that my oldest son came home and helped my wife jump the car and bring it home (but I digress).

My daughter is going out of town for college soon, and I am very nervous about her having a car out of town from where I am.

I've saved the best for last though- A year ago she went to France with a high school class where she had a great time. One night (in the middle of the night- which was morning in France) my cell phone rang. The middle of the night phone ringing is always a concern. I jumped out of bed and said "hello." I heard "Hey dad... my hair straightener won't work..." I said "do you have any idea what time it is here?" She didn't respond to that- just back to the hair straightener. "Well are you using the adapter that we sent with you." "Yes dad, but it still won't turn on." She told me that her cousin's was working, and when I suggested that she just use hers, she was mad at me and told me she had to go or she was going to be late." Sigh. I went back to bed.